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Seasonal density fluctuations of the exotic ornate kangaroo tick, Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum Koch, and its distribution on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

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Abstract

The ornate kangaroo tick, Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum, was recently recorded on southern Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. We examined seasonal fluctuations in A. triguttatum triguttatum life stages (adult, larva, and nymph) and its distribution on the peninsula. We used in situ CO2 traps and dragging cloths to determine monthly fluctuations in free-living ticks at four sites at Innes National Park from January to December 2006, and to determine the tick’s distribution on wider Yorke Peninsula. At each site, 166 m2 of ground surface were directly sampled with cloths, representing 16 1-m2 CO2 stations and three 1-m-wide 50-m transects. Adult A. triguttatum triguttatum were present in January and February and from August to December, with a peak (n = 54) occurring in November. Larvae were present from February to August, with their highest density (n = 3067) detected in March. Nymphs were collected from January to April and from August to December, with the highest density (n = 61) detected in September. Overall, A. triguttatum triguttatum numbers were highest in March when larvae peaked, and few ticks were detected in January (summer) or July (winter). Ticks occurred at several sites on southern Yorke Peninsula, supporting their invasive status.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to our colleagues Ross Andrews and Bruce Dixon for their assistance with tick identification and microscopy, performed with the continuous support of Olympus Australia. We are greatly indebted to our dedicated research assistant Matthew Gill who spent many days in the field throughout the course of this research. We also thank: Robert Aebi, Katherine Brownlie, Sarah Buckley, David Carver, Peter Close, Alan Dickens, Christopher Havelberg, Michael Jervois, Serina Lattanzio, Larissa Lauder, Anna Llewellyn, Philip Roetman, Annette Scanlon, James Tomlinson, Ashley Walker, Hugh Waudby, Pam Waudby, Brian White, Michael Rosewarne and Janine Slocombe. Sincere thanks to the Northern and Yorke Region Department for Environment and Heritage staff. Thanks also to Ian Beveridge who provided comments on the manuscript; Robert Sharrad also made useful suggestions relating to the initial research. This research was funded by a University of South Australia Competitive Grant and a Nature Foundation of South Australia Scholarship. This research was conducted under a National Parks and Wildlife Scientific Permit K25073 2, and ethics approval (92/05) from the IMVS Animal Ethics Committee.

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  1. School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, 5095, Australia

    Helen P. Waudby & Sophie Petit

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  1. Helen P. Waudby
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  2. Sophie Petit
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Correspondence to Sophie Petit.

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Waudby, H.P., Petit, S. Seasonal density fluctuations of the exotic ornate kangaroo tick, Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum Koch, and its distribution on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. Parasitol Res 101, 1203–1208 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0604-x

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